René Jansen: Ball ‘in the operators’ court’ to help curb excessive gambling

René Jansen, the departing Chair of the Dutch gaming authority, Kansspelautoriteit, has stated that the ball is “in the operators’ court” to help reduce excessive gambling following the publication of the amended Responsible Gaming Policy.

Posted on the KSA’s website, Jansen gave his last speech to providers at the recent Gaming in Holland conference, where he commented on the amended Responsible Gaming Policy, which was published in the Government Gazette earlier this month.

The amended Responsible Gaming Policy details a range of adjustments and clarifications for all licensed operators in the Netherlands, including the obligation for real-time monitoring and financial deposit limits.

Deposit limits of €300 per calendar month for players aged 18-24 and €700 per calendar month for players over 24, will be implemented from October 1 later this year.

From this date, if a player hits their respective deposit limit during a calendar month, operators must block any further deposits and..

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William Hill places social responsibility at the heart of long term  Scottish football extension 

Online sportsbook and casino William Hill has agreed a new sponsorship with the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL).

The record-breaking, five-year deal serves to significantly bolster William Hill’s presence and exposure in the country. The deal includes a partnership with EPIC Global Solutions, a gambling harm minimisation consultancy.

William Hill’s Marketing Director, Michael Sheehan, said: “We’re delighted to become title sponsor and Official Betting Partner of the SPFL, as well as launching a pioneering Gambling Harm Awareness programme, delivered by EPIC. For decades, we at William Hill have loved Scottish football and its fiercely loyal and passionate fans. Now, building on our long-standing association with Scottish football, we are delighted to be playing our part in five exciting seasons of the SPFL.

“In addition to our sponsorship, we will work proactively and extensively to raise awareness of the potential risks associated with betting across the Scottish footb..

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SkyCity-AUSTRAC A$67m AML/CTF penalty given Federal Court approval

The Federal Court of Australia has ordered SkyCity Adelaide to pay a A$67m penalty to the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre for breaches of the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006.

SkyCity has also been ordered to pay the Australian Government agency’s costs of $3m.

Civil penalty proceedings were initially commenced by AUSTRAC in December 2022, analysing historical contraventions of the AML/CTF Act during the period of December 7, 2016 to December 14, 2022.

This action stemmed from a compliance campaign initially started by the agency in September 2019.

Last month, SkyCity and AUSTRAC filed joint submissions with the Federal Court, with the operator admitting that it operated in contravention of the AML/CTF Act under two different sections.

Section 81 – its AML/CTF Programs did not meet the requirements of the AML/CTF Act and AML/CTF Rules.

Section 36 – it did not carry out appropriate ongoing customer due diligence with respect to cer..

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Two new defendants charged in Porter NBA gambling scheme

Two co-conspirators have been named in a criminal complaint for their alleged participation in a gambling scheme that led to the lifetime banishment of former Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter from the NBA.

The defendants, Timothy McCormack and Mahmud Mollah, allegedly co-conspired with Long Phi Pham to defraud sports betting operators by encouraging Porter to withdraw from certain NBA games due to his significant gambling debts. The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the East District of New York, details the alleged scheme.

Porter allegedly attempted to clear debt

McCormack, Mollah, Pham and another unnamed defendant worked together to allegedly place wagers on the “under” player prop markets for Porter, who notified the group of his intentional to leave a Jan. 26 game against the Los Angeles Clippers early due to injury.

According to texts and wire transfer records, Porter was encouraged to clear his gambling debts by withdrawing from certain games early for the..

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ANJ launches prevention campaign in prep for Euro 2024

The National Gaming Authority of France (ANJ) has reported that of over €4bn in online bets committed in 2023, football remains the sport with the highest number of bets in the country.

Meanwhile, Euro 2020 generated €700m in stakes (online and at points of sale), whereas the 2022 World Cup recorded €900m in stakes.

The authority stated: “Given the evolution of the sports betting market and the stakes recorded during the last competitions, a stake amount approaching €1bn could be reached. The course of the French team will nevertheless be decisive in the amount of stakes.”

A total 64% of sports bettors are between 18 and 34 years old, and there were more than 4 million active accounts in 2023 with an average annual stake of €1,982 per account.

Therefore, in its 2024/2026 strategic plan, the ANJ has set as a priority objective a drastic reduction in the share of excessive gamblers within three years.

Just before the Euros, the body is launching a prevention campaign, designed by ..

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SOFTSWISS launches tree-planting campaigns for World Environment Day

SOFTSWISS played its part in World Environment Day by launching a series of initiatives to encourage environmental sustainability around its offices in Georgia and Poland.

To celebrate the day dedicated to the environment, which took place on Wednesday June 5, several SOFTSWISS employees took part in local greening projects to enhance their cities’ ecological health.

Andrey Starovoitov, Co-CEO at SOFTSWISS, commented: “By participating in World Environment Day, we aim to draw attention to the critical importance of our planet’s health and inspire collective action among our employees and the wider community.

“Such initiatives are essential in promoting sustainability and fostering a culture of environmental consciousness within the igaming community.”

The igaming provider’s initiatives took place in Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital city, and Warsaw, Poland’s capital, with support from local authorities to ensure the campaigns aligned with existing local environmental efforts.

In Tbil..

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Victoria regulator launches inquiry into bingo regulations in Australia

Bingo is set to undertake a regulatory overhaul in Victoria after the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission opened up industry consultations to address issues within the sector.

Hoping to ensure that bingo remains social, safe and fair, the VGCCC has launched a wide-ranging inquiry to industry stakeholders and the general public to deepen its understanding of challenges within bingo as the game format becomes increasingly digitised.

“In recent years, the commercial bingo landscape has modernised, transitioning from traditional paper-based gameplay to electronic enhancements with substantial jackpots,” said Commission Chair, Fran Thorn.

“Given this evolution, it is crucial for us to assess and address issues of fairness, integrity and the potential for gambling harm, particularly among at-risk groups such as seniors, First Nations communities, women and lower-income individuals.”

The commission noted that bingo produced around A$107m in gaming revenue across 2023, sig..

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NCPG’s Keith Whyte offers his thoughts on the GRIT Act

Keith Whyte is a good guy. As the Executive Director of the National Council on Problem Gambling, you would hope so. He is a straight talker, a moderate and he is collaborative. He is a great supporter of the gambling industry. But to some extent, he is also a frustrated figure. He is not shy of voicing concerns or issues that many in the gambling industry would rather ignore.

Part of Whyte’s job is to raise funds for problem gambling research, education and treatment. It is a fight he has been waging for over 20 years and just when he felt like he had found an answer, the industry has fought back.

In January, Sen. Richard Blumenthal and US Rep. Andrea Salinas introduced the Gambling Addiction Recovery, Investment, and Treatment Act (GRIT), which proposes to take half of the funds generated by the federal excise tax on sports betting and apply it to problem gambling funding and research.

The American Gaming Association (AGA) has been staunch in its opposition to the act. Whyte beli..

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Guest comment: Advertising overload leads to US backlash 

The Game Safety Institute co-founders Simo Dragicevic and Sarah Ramanauskas say operators need more than a responsible gambling ad campaign to avoid a regulatory clampdown  With the legalization of online sports betting (OSB) in 38 of 50 US states and the growth of an online gambling market that is expected to reach $40bn by 2028,…

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BGC sees drastic increase in safer gambling tools use during RG Week

The UK Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has observed a spike in the use of safer gambling tools during last year’s Safer Gambling Week.

Analysing the data from the 2023 SG Week and pitting against the year prior, BGC reported noticing a 18% YoY increase in the number of deposit limits set during that seven-day period.

The total number of deposit limits were set by 83,242 unique account holders, which represents a 12.5% increase YoY. The majority of those limits (54%) were set by players who were doing so for the first time.

What’s more, the BGC also reported that the use of maximum stake limits went up by more than 300% YoY, with that number being similar among the amount of players who were actively setting up a reality check that shows on-screen the amount of time being spent gambling.

In terms of SG Week’s promotion on social media channels, the number of impressions generated across Twitter, Facebook and Instagram totalled more than 50 million.

Major social media sites di..

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